One of our enduring goals as a firm is to make a real and lasting impact in the wider world. As part of our broader environmental, social, and governance framework, we have chosen Community Advancement as a key area of focus. Our volunteering efforts are a way to support the communities where we work and live while empowering our employees to give back.
From monetary contributions and in-kind donations to providing on-the-ground support to various organizations, programs and causes, our team members consistently step-up.
Recent organizations, programs and causes that CRA has supported include:
![Annual Holiday Giving Tree with Heartland Alliance (Chicago)]()
Annual Holiday Giving Tree with Heartland Alliance (Chicago)The Heartland Alliance serves families in the Chicago area who struggle to make ends meet. Each year, during the holiday season, the organization hosts a Family Wish List Campaign to provide gifts and necessities to individuals and families in need.
![High School Summer Training Program (NYC)]()
High School Summer Training Program (NYC)In partnership with Minds Matter, a New York City-based non-profit that connects students from low-income families to resources aimed at preparing them for college, colleagues from our Marakon team helped lead a two-week training program for 18 high school students. For two hours per day, the team put on sessions ranging from PowerPoint and Excel skills to practice interviews. The program culminated in a capstone case study project in which the students presented their recommendations to the leadership team.
![JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (Boston, New York, and Chicago)]()
JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (Boston and Chicago)For 15 years, CRA has supported JP Morgan’s Annual 5K run. Each year proceeds from registration fees are donated to a different charity selected by the organizers. The event has been attended by colleagues at all levels of the firm.
![Mentoring Program with StreetWise Partners (Washington, D.C.)]()
Mentoring Program with StreetWise Partners (Washington, D.C.)For this annual initiative, first undertaken in 2007, CRA team members are paired with unemployed or underemployed adults to provide the skills, resources, and access necessary to secure and maintain long-term employment (résumé coaching, mock interviews, etc.). Team members meet weekly with these individuals over a 13-week period.
![Read to a Child and Book Drives (Boston and Washington, D.C.)]()
Read to a Child and Book Drives (Boston and Washington, D.C.)CRA partners with Read to a Child, a national program that offers reading and mentoring programs to under-resourced schools, and Everybody Wins DC, a DC-based non-profit dedicated to improving lives through shared reading experiences. CRA colleagues are matched with elementary school students in the greater Boston and DC areas. Additionally, over the past six years, CRA has supported a book drive through Everybody Wins DC, donating one children’s book for each book donated to the organization.
![Run with Maud in support of Sole Train (Boston and DC)]()
Run with Maud in support of Sole Train (Boston and DC)During the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, CRA hosted a donation-matching event in honor of Ahmud Arbery in partnership with Sole Train, a non-profit dedicated to unlocking opportunities for youth of color in Boston and Washington, DC.
![Soup kitchen in support of Rosie’s Place (Boston)]()
Soup kitchen in support of Rosie’s Place (Boston)Rosie’s Place was founded as the first women’s shelter in America. We organize trips throughout the year for CRA colleagues to volunteer in the organization’s soup kitchen, providing hot meals to women experiencing poverty or homelessness.
![Urban farming with The Food Project (Boston)]()
Urban farming with The Food Project (Boston)The Food Project (TFP) seeks to bring together youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to build sustainable food systems, producing healthy food for area residents of the city while offering youth leadership opportunities. CRA volunteers at TFP’s urban farm, which supports local farmers markets, stores, restaurants, and hunger-relief organizations.
